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USAID works to advance reproductive health for women and girls worldwide.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) advances and supports voluntary family planning and reproductive health programs in nearly 40 countries across the globe. Greater access to family planning information and services can help:

Benefits of Family Planning

Protects women's and children's health by reducing high-risk pregnancies and allowing sufficient time between pregnancies

Reduces HIV and AIDS through the prevention of new HIV infections and mother-to-child transmission via increased access to voluntary family planning information, services and commodities, including condoms

Decreases abortion

Advances individuals' rights to decide their own family size

Improves women's opportunities for education, employment and full participation in society

Reduces poverty by contributing to economic growth at the family, community and national levels

Mitigates the impact of population dynamics on natural resources and state stability

Almost 885 million women worldwide wish to avoid or delay pregnancy, and about three-quarters of these women are currently using a modern contraceptive method. Yet, more than 214 million women still have an unmet need for family planning.

When a woman bears children too closely together, too early or too late in life, the health of the mother and baby are at risk. Enabling couples and individuals to determine whether, when and how often to have children is vital to safe motherhood, healthy families and prosperous communities.

Our Work

As the world's largest family planning bilateral donor, USAID is committed to helping countries meet the family planning and reproductive health needs of their people. USAID supports Family Planning 2020's goal to reach 120 million more women and girls in the world's poorest countries with access to voluntary family planning information, contraceptives, and services by 2020.

When USAID launched its family planning program in 1965, fewer than 10 percent of women in the developing world (excluding China) were using a modern contraceptive method, and the average family size was over six. Today, in the 31 countries where USAID focuses its support, modern contraceptive prevalence has increased to 30 percent, and average family size has dropped to 4.4. USAID's work in reproductive health also focuses on ending child marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting, gender-based violence and more.

Follow USAID's work in family planning through an interactive timeline marking some of our major milestones over the past 50 years.